Pond preparation
Between crops, ponds are dried, levelled and limed, and the bunds repaired. Giving the soil a proper rest is the cheapest disease control there is.
Gurajanapalli, Andhra Pradesh
Seventy-two acres of water, worked by the same family since 1989.
Shrimp raised slowly and carefully in open ponds - under a certification standard that checks the food, the water and the people behind it.
1989First pond stocked
2016Rebuilt & back in production
72 acresUnder water
BAPCertified farm
The Farm
Three decades in one place, learning the same water.
CPR Aqua Farms sits on 72 acres at Gurajanapalli, in the coastal belt of Andhra Pradesh - a stretch of land that has grown shrimp for as long as India has exported it.
The first ponds here were dug in 1989. What followed was the ordinary story of Indian aquaculture: good years, hard years, disease cycles, and long stretches where the sensible thing was to wait. In 2016 the farm was rebuilt from the bund up - ponds reshaped, aeration reworked, water management rethought - and it has run continuously since.
Staying in one place for that long teaches you things a new site cannot buy. We know how this soil holds water, which ponds turn first after a monsoon, and how long the water needs to rest between crops. Most of the decisions made here are made on the bund, by people who have walked it for years.
Visionary Founder
Chakkapalli Venkata Prabhakar Rao
With more than 36 years in aquaculture, Prabhakar Rao has built his expertise through years of working directly with ponds, water, soil and shrimp - learning from every season and refining the way each crop is managed.
His approach is rooted in observation and experience - a deep understanding of pond behaviour, water conditions, soil preparation, stocking, feeding, aeration and crop health, along with the small changes that make a significant difference over the course of a crop.
What distinguishes his approach is not a single farming formula, but the ability to read the pond, understand changing conditions and respond at the right time. Every crop brings different water, weather and biological conditions, and his experience lies in recognising those changes early and adjusting accordingly.
His vision for CPR Aqua Farms is to build on that experience - combining proven knowledge with improved techniques, responsible resource management and continuous refinement, to produce healthy shrimp and maintain the long-term health of the farm.
“నీరు తనకు కావలసినది చెబుతుంది. వినడానికి మీరు అక్కడ ఉంటే చాలు.” “The water tells you what it needs. You only have to be there to hear it.” - CPR · Founder
Every pond is read, every evening.
How We Farm
Fewer surprises, better shrimp.
Nothing here is novel. It is the standard way to run a pond well, done consistently - which turns out to be the hard part.
Water & aeration
Paddlewheels run to hold dissolved oxygen through the night, and water quality is checked on a fixed schedule rather than when something looks wrong.
Seed & feed
Post-larvae are sourced from tested hatcheries and stocked at densities the pond can carry. Feed is tracked against growth, so the pond is fed to appetite, not to schedule.
Records & traceability
Every pond keeps its own record - stocking, feed, treatments, water readings and harvest. Those records are what makes a crop traceable, and what audits are built on.
Certification
Best Aquaculture Practices certified.
BAP
Certified Farm
BAP certification is an independent audit of the whole operation, not a label bought for the box. Holding it means the farm is assessed against a written standard and re-checked to keep it.
- Food safety and responsible use of inputs
- Environmental responsibility, including water discharge and surrounding land
- Social accountability and fair treatment of everyone working on the farm
- Animal health and welfare through the crop
- Traceability from stocking through to harvest
From Above
The whole 72 acres, in one frame.
Aerial film coming soon
Drone footage and overhead stills of the ponds are being prepared. This space is reserved for them.
Gallery
The farm, on ordinary days.
Location
Gurajanapalli, Andhra Pradesh.
CPR Aqua Farms
Gurajanapalli
Andhra Pradesh, India
Open in Google Maps
Andhra Pradesh, India
Visits are welcome by arrangement - the ponds are best seen early in the morning or an hour before sunset.
Get in touch
Buyers, processors and neighbours - all welcome.
Whether you are looking at a harvest, comparing farms, or simply curious about how this stretch of water is worked, write to us and we will answer properly.
- hello@cpraquafarms.com
- Phone
- +91 00000 00000
- Message us
- Farm
- Gurajanapalli, AP